Q Can you tell me whatever happened to Stone Phillips and why he was fired from Dateline?
—Morris Cason, Logan, Utah

Budget cutbacks at the NBC network were reportedly at the root of the award-winning journalist's departure last July. "It's been a wonderful 15 years," Phillips said good-naturedly at the time. "I wish the people of NBC News all the best." Born in Texas City, Texas, and raised in St. Louis, he's keeping a low profile in New York with his wife, Debra, with whom he has one son. When Phillips, 53, began his stint at Dateline in 1992, his co-host, Jane Pauley, said, "He's so terribly attractive that it takes some getting used to."